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My Blog and I

My name is Diana. I am the blogger behind Offbeat Vagabond. I just
wanted something to help me rant on about things I love or don't quite
love. I am big on books, especially Urban
Fantasy, it is my favorite genre. Any Romance has to be Paranormal,
because love isn't natural without a gun and a beast involved. Although my tastes are very much expanding, I have discovered a love for Contemporary even BDSM (shocking!) I love
movies. Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror/Action, pretty much anything as long as no
Romantic Comedies are involved (Katherine Heigl, you have been warned).
Music, TV, Wrestling are all my things as well (although I haven't been watching Wrestling as much as I used to). I am doing this for fun. I want to
write on a professional front, so blogging is a good stepping stone for
me. I just hope that stone doesn't have moss and I slip and break
something. So join me in my little piece of the Internet and remember,
it is normal to be abnormal

Hawke Evans is the drummer for the Grammy winning Sphere of Irony. The quiet, tattooed and pierced hottie behind a pair of geek chic glasses is hiding a seriously troubled adrenaline junkie with a death wish.Abby Kessler is studying psychology at UCLA. Her desire to help those fighting mental illness stems from a life-changing incident in her past.When Abby meets Hawke backstage at a local club, she’s instantly attracted to his bad boy good looks. But when she discovers the damaged man beneath the beautiful exterior, she’s compelled to make up for past mistakes.How long will it take for Hawke to realize his reckless behavior isn’t only endangering him, but the hearts of those around him? How long will it take for Abby to see that she can’t help someone who has no desire to be fixed? ***This is book 4 in the Sphere of Irony Series. It can be read as a standalone. This is a spin-off of the Famous Series***

Oh look, what is that I see on the floor? Oh, it is my heart right now because it wants a break after reading this book. My goodness, what an emotional rollercoaster. This is my first read by Leigh. I jumped at the chance to read since it can be read as a standalone. Now I plan on going back to read the rest of this series if they are like this book. I am in love.

This book bounces from past to present. We start with Hawke when he was seventeen years old. He comes from a rich and famous family who want him to be sociable and popular. He, however, does not. He hates the fake people surrounding him. One night after making a mistake (multiple mistakes actually), something bad happens. Something really really bad. It changed him forever. The book also follows Abby, a girl who has also went through something traumatic. Her brother is bipolar and it seems to be getting worse and worse. But no one is aware of how worse.

The main characters of this book are just incredible, both together and apart. They have some demons that they both feed in unhealthy ways. I love how Leigh made them so relatable. The subject matter of mental illness and how people cope with it makes this book very realistic to me. It also makes you love the character even more. You go from laughing with them and drooling over how amazing they are together. Then the book flips and you are crying with them and for them.

This book is so beautifully written. I love finding a book to get lost in and I was entranced with this. There was so much soul and heart in it. I felt it with every page. You see Abby trying to overcome her past, but yet trying to fix Hawke's. He has so much to deal with, that he simply chooses not to. He sleeps with random women just so he doesn't have to deal. Abby becomes his lifeline. But they are both broken. They are both clinging to each other without facing their problems. Again, the book does such a good job reeling you in with these characters. In one way or another, you can put yourself into these characters shoes.

This book is one of the best reads I have had in a while. Everything about it was just fascinating. Well...except one thing. The book cover. Sorry, but I am not a fan of this cover at all. Yes, Hawke comes from a rich and famous family. Yes, he is also in a band, but this cover does not do him justice. It isn't who he is. Honestly, the cover makes him look like a d****e from Jersey Shore or something. Yeah, I said it. It just doesn't represent the man in the book to me. He is someone who has been through so much and is dealing with so much. I don't get that at all from the cover. Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest. Rant over. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a pageturner that will leave raw but yet very happy. Wreck had it all for me and then some. I knew after reading the synopsis I was going to be in for a treat. I got that and then some. This is a truly unforgettable read. Beautiful and lovable characters with a story that will take your breathe away. It really doesn't get any better than that.Rating:

About Heather C. Leigh

Heather C. Leigh is the author of the Amazon best selling Famous series. She likes to write about the 'dark' side of fame. The part that the public doesn't get to see, how difficult it is to live in a fishbowl and how that affects relationships.

Heather was born and raised in New England and currently lives outside Atlanta, GA with her husband, 2 kids, and French Bulldog, Shelby.

She loves the Red Sox, the Patriots, and anything chocolate (but not white chocolate, everyone knows it's not real chocolate so it doesn't count) and has left explicit instructions in her will to have her ashes snuck into Fenway Park and sneakily sprinkled all over while her family enjoys beer, hot dogs, and a wicked good time.

Kit Devigny could have loved rock guitarist Noah St. John. Their friendship burned with the promise of intense passion and searing tenderness…until the night Noah deliberately shattered her heart.

Noah knows he destroyed something precious the night he chose to betray Kit, but he’d rather she hate him than learn his darkest secret. All he has left is his music. It’s his saving grace, but it doesn’t silence the voices that keep him up at night. Chasing oblivion through endless one-night-stands, he earns a few hours’ sleep and his bad boy reputation.

When a media error sees Noah and Kit dubbed the new “it” couple, Kit discovers her chance at the role of a lifetime hinges on riding the media wave. Wanting—needing—to give Kit this, even if he can’t give her everything, Noah agrees to play the adoring boyfriend. Only the illusion is suddenly too real, too painful, too beautiful…and it may be too late for the redemption of Noah St. John.

Rock Redemption is the third book in Nalini Singh's Rock Kiss series. You can read this as a standalone, but I recommend reading the whole series anyway since it is amazing. Singh is one of my favorite authors. She is known for her UF/PNR series, Psy-Changeling series and Guild Hunter series. Both series I drool for, so I figured why not give her "real world" series a try. As expected, she didn't disappoint. Singh really knows how to draw in her audience because her characters are so compelling. I couldn't put this book down even if I wanted to.

Our story follows a woman named Kit Devigny. She is a former soap opera star, but is slowing making it big in Hollywood. Her parents are famous as well, but she refuses to be associated with them when it comes to her career. She is doing things on her own. One night after another stressful day of filming, she gets a call she never expected. This leads to our gorgeous bad boy rocker with a heart of gold, Noah. Noah can't sleep. Not in a regular way when someone can't sleep, he refuses to sleep. He has one nightmare that is too much for him so he tries anything to keep from sleeping. One night, he calls Kit. He knows he has no right to after he broke her heart in pieces, but he needed someone and didn't know where to go. Kit finds him about to do something monumentally stupid and it starts them off on a path neither of them thought they would go down again.

Kit and Noah were best friends, but clearly something was brewing between them. I love this revisiting of their friendship. They both lost a bit of each other when they weren't together and they won't admit it. What I loved about both of them is what they would do for their friends. If any of them needed help with anything, they always had their backs. As much as Kit couldn't stand to be around Noah after he broke her heart, she couldn't stand around while he dug a hole for himself. He really would have too. I was scared every time the book changed to his POV because he was in such a dark place and you never knew whether he would get out of it.

Noah needed Kit more than he knew. Something terrible happened to him when he was younger and it is still haunting him as a man. It still haunted him because the ones that should have supported him and protected him abandoned him without a second glance. I was furious when I heard about it. I couldn't believe it. It made me love him more because you want to be there for him too as much as Kit. He was on such a destructive path and no one knew why except his close friend and fellow bandmate, Fox. Fox is the only one that knows Noah's dark secret. Kit doesn't know and it kills her he doesn't trust her enough with it.

While Noah and Kit are trying to rekindle their friendship, Kit's Hollywood star is glowing a little brighter. After one night of joining Noah at a charity for his aunt, things get really crazy. Kit and Noah have become the "it" couple. The up-and-coming actress with the sexy bad boy rocker who has a reputation, the paparazzi was loving them. Kit really wants the lead role in a film, however, in order to get it, she has to put on a facade that her and Noah are dating so the buzz can keep her in the spotlight. She doesn't want to do it, but Noah wants to redeem himself. He wants to show that she can trust him again and will do anything for her because he knows she deserves it. I love how much he was willing to make her happy. He doesn't like having his photo taken, but is willing to bite the bullet for her.

On top of all the drama around Kit though, she is also dealing with some financial issues. She may be the next great actress in Hollywood, but she is dealing with these issues given she has a stalker. This stalker has forced her to spend way beyond her means for her protection. He has already broke into her old home and had done something truly disturbing and gross. After that, she had to do what she could to protect herself. Things get a bit more disturbing when Kit is seen with Noah and they have declared themselves a couple.

I really loved this story. I am a sucker for redemption stories and this is a favorite. Noah and Kit needed each other. They were best friends and you could feel how important that friendship was to them especially Noah. The characters were lovable and you could relate to them with or without the celebrity status. They really were just regular people trying to make it. I also really enjoyed the side characters in this book as well, mainly Kit and Noah's friends. Fox was that voice of reason for Noah. Fox's story is the first book in the Rock Kiss series (which I am going to start next). It is scary to think what would have happened to Noah if he had never met him. I loved all of Noah's bandmates specially Abe who I believe needs his own story. He has quite a few "oh s**t" moments in this book. I really wanted more of that story.

I definitely recommend this read to anyone looking for a beautiful love story that wasn't dragged through the mud, but dragged through hell and back again. Singh's knows how to pull the emotions out of you and I loved every minute of it. The story keep me intrigued and was at a great pace. You will laugh, cry, and definitely through around some curse words. These characters were so easy to love. They are going to stick with me for a while. If you haven't started reading anything from Singh yet, I urge you to start now.

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About Nalini Singh

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous angels. This time around, she decided to write about hot and wickedly tempting rock stars (and one gorgeous ex-rugby player). If you’re seeing a theme here, you’re not wrong.

Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website